STALKER ON THE FENS a gripping crime thriller full of twists

by Joy Ellis

  Dave looked up from his screen. ‘Found something?’

  ‘I certainly have. Listen, this is referring to the cellar area, where the DI and Sergeant Easter found Helen Brook. It talks all about her, and the location and position she was in, blah, blah.’ She scrolled down the screen. ‘This is it: “To the rear of the basement area there was further blood evidence. Two smears of blood, indicating that the injured party had attempted to move from one spot to another. This was at first believed to be that of the only casualty found in that sector, but later proved to be from an unknown source. DNA testing showed it to be male. No match was found to any of the other victims. (A record is on file of blood group and DNA fingerprint).” So it looks like Helen Brook might be right about that part of the story. Perhaps she’s right about being followed as well.’

  ‘Which ties in with something I’ve just found,’ Eric added. ‘A neighbour of Miss Brook reported someone hanging around in their back garden last week.’

  Dave slowly stood up. ‘Then I think it’s time to go find the boss.’

  * * *

  Eric went off with a uniform to check about the intruder, and Cat was left alone in the office, wondering how things were going to pan out over the next few weeks. She loved the team like a family, but their new addition had altered the dynamic, and not for the better. She pulled a face and sighed. She’d said she’d try to make it work, but already she knew it wasn’t going to be easy. She removed a sheet from her printer and scanned the data morosely.

  ‘Okay, Cat. Either you are reading your P45, or an obituary. Which is it?’

  She looked up to see Dave perching himself carefully on the edge of her desk. ‘My friend, I’m sorry but I really don’t feel like me anymore.’

  Dave tilted his head to one side and frowned. ‘So what’s worrying you? Is it Eric Barnes’ charismatic appearance as one of the team?’

  Cat nodded, but she didn’t want to offload her problems onto her old mate immediately on his return from sick leave.

  ‘Well, for what it’s worth, I happen to think he’s an arsehole too.’

  Cat sat back and grinned at Dave. It was so unlike Dave Harris to bad-mouth anyone that it almost made her laugh. Barnes must be a right piece of work to upset him. ‘So what’s he done to rattle your cage, Davey-boy?’

  ‘Nothing in particular, he’s just a brown nose. Oh yes, and I hear that he loves to belittle the DI at every available opportunity. Not that he’s ever done it in my company, but you can imagine how pleased that kind of rumour makes me.’

  ‘So? He hates women in command? Most male coppers do, if they’re honest.’ She threw him an apologetic smile. ‘Not you, of course.’

  Dave’s face took on an unnaturally hard expression. ‘Well, I’ve been around for long enough to know how tough it’s been for the boss. She has had to work twice as hard as any bloke to get where she is now, and I admire her for it. Barnes has a big mouth and all that comes out of it is bigoted crap.’ He paused, tilted his head to one side and asked, ‘So what about you, Cat? Tell me to mind my own business if you want, but I get the feeling it goes considerably deeper.’

  Cat had no intention of baring her soul, not even to her lovely Dave, but she did say, ‘It’s just something that got out of hand, and now the situation is beyond salvaging. Our paths crossed on a rape case, and I thought his handling of it was unforgivably insensitive.’ She took a long, deep breath. ‘If you really want to know, Dave, I felt disillusioned. Is he the new breed of officer coming up through the ranks?’

  ‘I know what you mean, but if ever I feel like that I think of young PC Niall Farrow, and that restores my faith in the new ones. Eric is a one-off, I’m sure of that. Admittedly he’s also intelligent, ambitious, devious, and he’ll probably make superintendent long before you, but he’ll never be liked by anyone, up or down the ladder.’

  Cat was forced to smile. ‘Thanks for that. It’s nice to know I have an ally.’

  ‘One more thing — and this should make you smile.’ Dave moved closer and whispered, ‘I overheard a conversation in the mess room, just prior to his leaving DI Mercer’s team, and he said that he had no intention of staying in a hick town like Greenborough for long. He was just biding his time before jumping on the fast-track to the top. So just hang on in there, Cat. I bet you a year’s overtime that EB will be just a bad memory in a month or so.’

  Cat raised an eyebrow. She knew now that she really had to bite the bullet and rise above Eric’s caustic remarks. Hard work on her part, and a good result on this case would impress the guv’nor, and Eric could bloody well fast-track out of it.

  For the first time, Cat felt positive. She squeezed Dave’s arm. ‘Thanks for that. I feel a whole lot better. So, what’s next?’

  Dave patted her hand. ‘Excellent. The DI and Sergeant Easter will be out in a moment, and we’ll get on with finding out what this Helen Brook thing is all about.’

  CHAPTER SIX

  Nikki looked at her team earnestly. ‘I’ve just had a meeting with Superintendent Woodhall. He’s made it clear that peeping Toms are not CID business. It’s hardly even a police matter, but he sees where we are coming from with this rather worrying confession thing. I assured him that if it were anyone else, I’d be sceptical too, but I know her and she’s no flake. We have to admit that it could be some kind of delayed reaction to the trauma, and the blood could have come from anyone involved in that accident. But that doesn’t feel right, and I’m admitting to you that I have a very bad feeling about this.’ Actually it was more like a slimy worm squirming through her gut. ‘So he’s given us the go-ahead to investigate it properly. We’ll take it from the top, and I want you all to be aware that Helen Brook could well be in grave danger. If someone did confess to killing a woman, in the belief that Helen was dying, he could now be very worried and very dangerous indeed.’

  ‘So we take the threat seriously, even though it’s most likely some kind of hallucination brought on by pain and being half-dead at the time?’

  Eric Barnes’ tone held just a hint of sarcasm, but it was enough to make Nikki bristle. She fixed him with a glacial stare. ‘Do I need to repeat myself, DC Barnes? I do hope not.’ She turned to Dave and her expression softened. ‘Sort out who does what for me, Dave. You know what we need to check.’

  Dave nodded. ‘No problem, ma’am. Will you go to see Ms Brook personally? To tell her that we are formally investigating her claim?’

  Nikki nodded. ‘Yes, I’ve got a few things to tie up, then Joseph and I will give her the good news. Okay, that’s all for now, so off you go.’

  * * *

  Helen wandered around the garden room, desperately looking for some sense of normality in her life. Everything she cherished suddenly held either emptiness, or a sinister connotation. She picked up a black onyx bowl containing a handful of shimmering white Indian moonstones. She turned them gently, watching the light catch fluorescent patches of turquoise, like trapped butterfly wings in the gemstones, and wondered what was happening to her.

  She had almost screamed at Nikki. She felt terrible about it, but she couldn’t help herself.

  The house phone’s sudden ring made her jump and her heart began to race as she waited for Andrew to pick up the extension. She looked down and saw that her hands were shaking.

  ‘It’s okay, babe. It’s for me,’ Andrew called down the stairs.

  Relief flooded through her. She still believed that those earlier calls had been the man who was following her, checking on her, seeing if she were at home. Thank God that Andrew was there with her, and the house had new security locks fitted.

  She sank down into one of the two small sofas and wondered if she should call Nikki and apologise for her rudeness. Nikki was looking out for her, and she’d repaid her by behaving like a mad woman.

  As she sat in the quiet and tried to rehearse what she would say, Andrew came down the stairs. She looked up and smiled, but his face was etched with worry.

  ‘Look, darling, p
lease don’t get upset, but I have to go into the office for an hour or two.’ He was obviously pained by seeing her immediate distress, but he was still prepared to go. ‘I won’t be long, I promise. I’ll be back by late evening. That was Teresa. She said there is a problem with one of our biggest Swiss accounts. She can’t handle it alone.’

  Anxiety almost choked her. ‘You are going now? Oh please, Andrew. Don’t leave me!’

  He looked at her helplessly. ‘The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll get back. I wouldn’t go at all if it were anything other than critical. You know that, Helen, don’t you?’

  If she had not been so frightened, she would have felt sorry for him. His face was a picture of misery. He was clearly torn between her and his precious bloody job.

  ‘You promise you’ll be back tonight?’

  ‘I swear.’

  It would have to do, she supposed. She could not make her feelings any more obvious. She swallowed back a sob and shrugged.

  He sat down beside her and hugged her. ‘I love you, Helen. It might not seem that I do, but I love you with all my heart.’ He released her, kissed her on the lips, then stood up and hurried from the room. A few moments later he returned, jacket over his shoulder and his attaché case gripped tightly under his arm.

  ‘Make sure your mobile is charged up, darling. I’ll use that, then you won’t have to answer the house phone, alright?’ He came over and kissed her again. ‘And while I’m away I want you to consider something. When this thing with Zurich is sorted, I think we should go away. Not just a holiday. I’m thinking about us going traveling for a while — six months, maybe a year? I know you’ve always wanted to see India, and I’d like to find some of my distant relatives in New Zealand. Now you’re able to walk again, it could be the right time to do it. What do you think?’

  Helen closed her eyes. ‘I don’t understand you, Andrew! What about all this? What about Newlands? This is what I’ve worked for all my life. I can’t just up and walk away from it. And your bloody job! You finally got your promotion that means more to you than anything, then suddenly you want to jack it in?’ She threw up her hands.

  ‘Oh, I know it sounds stupid, Helen. What about a really long break, then? I’m sure that SKS would allow me a sabbatical, and you desperately need a holiday. We could even get married abroad. Then when you’re all relaxed again, you can devote every hour you want to the clinic. It’s all prepared, isn’t it? You could come back with a new lease of life and give it your all.’

  Helen stared at him. He looked like some overgrown schoolboy, tripping over his tongue as he made excuses for a broken window.

  He glanced at the clock. ‘Look, I have to go. Just promise me you’ll think about it, okay? And you know I love you, don’t you? Bye, sweetheart. I’ll ring you later.’

  As he turned to go, she held onto him. The strength of her grip was almost frightening.

  ‘Just get home. That’s all I want.’

  Before his BMW had left the drive, Helen picked up the phone and dialled Nikki’s number.

  * * *

  ‘He’s done what!’ Nikki clamped her jaw shut before she said something that might upset her friend. Andrew was dead meat. She’d made a serious error of judgement by not roasting his balls the first time around. ‘That guy is something else, but I don’t have to tell you that, do I?’

  ‘Hardly.’

  ‘Listen, why not come and stay with me tonight? I’ll pick you up when I finish.’

  ‘I appreciate the offer, Nikki, but he swore to me that he’d be back tonight. I’ll give him one chance. If he’s not home by eleven thirty, can I call you?’

  ‘Of course you can, but make that eleven.’ She stopped for a moment, not sure how to tell her friend what she had discovered. ‘Listen, Helen, I don’t want you to worry. This is actually encouraging news. One of your neighbours reported seeing someone hanging around the other night, which does rather back up your suspicion about someone watching the property.’

  Helen’s relief flooded down the phone line like a physical thing. ‘Thank you for that, Nikki! I was starting to doubt my sanity! I know it’s the last thing I need, but thank God someone else has seen him at last.’

  ‘It’s also given me a good reason to get uniform to keep an eye on you. Don’t be surprised to see a police car outside, okay?’

  ‘Oh, that’s such a relief! Especially after the anonymous calls earlier. Andrew said they were business calls for him, and I know I told him to give this number to his clients, but I really don’t think that’s the case. I’m certain someone was on the other end, just listening to me.’

  Nikki stiffened. ‘Did you do 1471?’

  ‘It registered Caller Withheld.’

  ‘You do know that we can trace calls, don’t you? If it happens again, ring us.’

  ‘I’m giving Andrew the benefit of the doubt, Nikki, just in case I’m being paranoid. But if it happens again, I’ll ring you immediately.’

  ‘You’d better, Helen Brook, or you’ll have me to deal with. While you’re on the line, I was wondering about the people who come to you for treatments or classes. What are they like?’

  Nikki heard a long intake of breath. ‘They’re mainly people in pain, I suppose, but also those who have lost their faith in allopathic medicine, or maybe have been let down by their doctors. People who hate drugs, who are stressed, people who are looking for something, maybe something more spiritual and less material than they find in their day-to-day lives. Honestly, the list is endless.’

  ‘So, sometimes people turn to complementary medicine when all else fails?’

  ‘Very often.’

  ‘And if you are able to help them, do any of them become dependent on you? I mean, like . . . worship is perhaps the wrong word, but you know what I’m getting at, don’t you?’

  Helen’s voice became stronger and more confident. She was on home ground now, talking about the vocation that she loved. ‘When we are dealing with needy people, we offer them a little adage, “Never fall in love with your mother or your therapist.” If you don’t make your position very clear, clients can use you as a crutch. We try very hard to make sure that they don’t develop an unhealthy attachment or just become too reliant on us. We like to make the client believe that healing comes from within, and their return to good health ultimately is in their own hands.’

  Nikki thought hard, then said, ‘Just for one moment, Helen, let’s consider that you are suffering from two separate problems. The memories concerning the man who you believe was trapped with you,’ she purposely omitted to tell her about the blood evidence found in the cellar, ‘and someone watching or following you. It could be one of your patients following you, and nothing to do with the accident at all, just someone who has not quite caught on to the fact that he shouldn’t fall for his therapist.’

  Helen’s voice was incredulous. ‘You mean I have a stalker? I honestly can’t see that. I may not be quite a Quasimodo, but when I look in the mirror, I sure don’t see a supermodel looking back!’

  ‘He might not want a supermodel, just a very attractive woman, and I can assure you, that’s the category I’d put you in.’

  ‘Thank you, but you’ve obviously forgotten about the limp, and . . .’ As she spoke, Nikki could almost see her gently fingering the uneven purple-ish line of scarring that ran across her forehead and disappeared into her hairline.

  ‘Battle scars are sometimes very appealing, you know.’

  ‘Oh yes! If you happen to be starring in a Tarantino movie! But I’m a Greenborough aromatherapist, for heaven’s sake!’

  Nikki laughed. ‘I hear what you’re saying, but don’t discount the fact that someone may have a major crush on you. It’s not impossible. Didn’t Joseph tell me something about a blog dedicated to you?’

  ‘Oh Lord, don’t remind me! A grateful client, who also happened to be a major social networking fan. He thought he needed to tell the world how I’d helped him through a difficult patch. But what about the memory?
It was a memory, Nikki.’

  ‘Let’s go after the part we can actually do something about, i.e. the man who’s watching you. If we find a connection when we catch him, then fine. If not, we’ll take it from there, okay? And don’t forget there will be a couple of our men with you tonight. They may even take a look around that back garden area, so don’t be concerned, okay?’ Nikki saw Joseph’s head appear around her door. ‘I’ve got to go now, but if anything else happens, we’ll get your telephone monitored. You take care, and ring me if it gets late and you’re worried.’

  As Nikki replaced the phone she was overwhelmed by anger at Andrew’s callousness. How can you say you love someone, then leave them when they need you most? Nikki frowned. She thought of all the times she had raced off to work, when maybe she should have spent more time with Hannah or her dad. She believed that she had done her best, but now they had both gone it didn’t seem enough, and she knew that she would always live with a shadow of guilt darkening their memories.

  Joseph was looking concerned. ‘That’s a serious face.’

  She forced a smile. ‘Just a maudlin moment. Take no notice. Sit down for a minute. I just need to beg a favour from uniform, then I’m all yours.’

  A few moments later she replaced the handset, sat back and regarded Joseph. ‘I’m worried sick about Helen. That sod of a boyfriend has left her on her own while he goes and plays with his hard drives.’

  Joseph pulled a face. ‘That young man really needs a lecture on priorities. Techies are a different breed. I swear they come from another planet. But maybe it’s time you pointed out a few home truths, in your own inimitable style.’

  ‘My thoughts precisely,’ she growled.